title: Is epicardial adipose tissue, assessed by echocardiography, a reliable method for visceral adipose tissue prediction?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epicardial adipose tissue is an ectopic fat storage at the heart surface in direct contact with the coronary arteries. It is considered a metabolically active tissue, being a local source of pro-inflammatory factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. The AIM of our study was to establish correlations between echocardiographic assessment of epicardial adipose tissue and anthropometric and ultrasound measurements of the central and peripheral fat depots.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted on 22 patients with or without coronaropathy. Epicardial adipose tissue was measured using Aloka Prosound α 10 machine with a 3.5-7.5 MHz variable-frequency transducer and subcutaneous and visceral fat with Esaote Megas GPX machine and 3.5-7.5 MHz variable frequency transducer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epicardial adipose tissue measured by echocardiography is correlated with waist circumference (p < 0.05), visceral adipose tissue thickness measured by ultrasonography (US) and is not correlated with body mass index (p = 0.315), hip and thigh circumference or subcutaneous fat thickness measured by US.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirms that US assessment of epicardial fat correlates with anthropometric and US measurements of the central fat, representing an indirect but reliable marker of the visceral fat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, County Clinic Emergency Hospital, 3-5 Pasteur str., 400349, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. alinasilaghi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alina Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Silaghi
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poantă
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valea
authors.forename: Raluca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pais
authors.forename: Horatiu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Silaghi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity